LSP News
Land Stewardship Project Staff Changes
M
ike McMahon has wrapped up a 22-year career with the Land Stewardship Project, during which he played a key role in building its membership base and advancing the organization’s work via individual giving. McMahon joined LSP in 1998 as a policy organizer and worked extensively on the farmer-led campaign to challenge the national pork checkoff program. In 2007, he took over as LSP’s Mike McMahon membership coordinator. In subsequent years, building on the work of his predecessor, Cathy Eberhart, McMahon further modernized the organization’s system for recruiting and communicating with members. Through the work of LSP’s Individual Giving and Membership team, McMahon helped grow significantly the organization’s membership base and foundation of financial resources. Working with former executive director Mark Schultz and LSP’s board of directors, McMahon spearheaded the development of the organization’s most recent five-year plan: Vision for the Future: Stewardship, Justice, Democracy, Health, Community (see page 17). During the past several months, McMahon served with Amy Bacigalupo as co-managing director at LSP. McMahon and Bacigalupo served keys role in helping the organization transition to its new executive director, Jess Anna Glover. McMahon has joined the staff of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, a longtime LSP ally that works on economic, racial, and environmental justice issues. Barb Sogn-Frank has departed LSP after working for two years as a Policy Program organizer. Since joining the staff in 2018, SognFrank had worked with local citizens in southeastern and west-central Minnesota who are fighting large-scale factory livestock farms in their Barb Sogn-Frank communities. Sogn-Frank The Land Stewardship Letter
also worked on farm crisis and state policy issues. Amanda Madison has stepped down as a digital and communications organizer for LSP. Since joining the staff in 2018, Madison worked with program directors and staff to assist them in reaching membership base-building goals. She Amanda Madison also helped members develop leadership roles in social media and launched a narrative development initiative. Amy Bacigalupo and Karen Stettler were recently named co-directors of LSP’s Farm Beginnings Program. Both have been long-time members of the Farm Beginnings team — Bacigalupo has directed the program for the past several years, and Stettler works on issues related to transitioning farmland to the next generation, among other things. Bacigalupo can be reached at 320269-2105, amyb@ landstewardshipproject.org; Stettler Amy Bacigalupo is at 507-523-3366, stettler@landstewardshipproject.org. Farm Beginnings provides a range of training initiatives, including the Farm Dreams class, the Farm Beginnings course, and the Journeyperson course (see pages 27 and 32). Jessica Kochick Karen Stettler has joined LSP’s Policy and Organizing team as a federal policy organizer. She had previously served as an assistant with the program, and has had previous experience as a teacher and union organizer. Through her new position, Kochick is working on issues related to corporate consolidation and climate change, among others. She is based in LSP’s Twin Cities office and can be reached at 612-722-6377 or jkochick@landstewardshipproject.org.
Emily Minge has joined LSP’s staff as an organizer in its Policy and Organizing Program as well as with the Land Stewardship Action Fund, the organization’s sister organization that focuses on building power through electoral politics Jessica Kochick (see page 30). Minge has participated in an LSP Organizing and Social Change Cohort, and recently helped facilitate the latest iteration of that initiative (see page 9). As an LSP intern, Minge had previously helped organize two Family Farm Breakfast and Day at the Capitol events. She is based in LSP’s Twin Cities office and Emily Minge can be reached at 612722-6377 or eminge@ landstewardshipproject.org. Connor Dunn has joined LSP’s Soil Health Program team. Dunn has a bachelor’s degree in environmental science from Iowa State University and has assisted with hazelnut and agroforestry research for various institutions. He has also worked with wildlife restoration and for the Renature Foundation in Indonesia. At LSP, Dunn is working with crop and livestock farmers who want to build soil health profitably. He is based in LSP’s Lewiston, Minn., office and can be contacted at Connor Dunn cdunn@landstewardshipproject.org or 507-523-3366. Maya Edstrom has been serving an internship with LSP’s Farm Beginnings Program. Edstrom is a junior at Scripps College, where she is majoring in environmental analysis and minoring in studio art. She has served an internship with the Scripps Dean of Students Office and worked for a landscaping company. Edstrom has also participated in a 10-day Yellowstone Wildlife Ecology trip. Through her LSP internship, Edstrom has been helping coordinate Farm Beginnings online farm tours/skill shares (see page 32). p Maya Edstrom
No. 2, 2020
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